Chapter 16: The Perimeter Scare and a Last-Minute Adjustment
The final hours before midnight crawled by like molasses. Lin Yue didn’t sleep—he couldn’t. Instead, he sat in the cabin, polishing his sword with a rag, his mind replaying the prisoner’s words. The fail-safe technique, Lord Xiao’s merge with the Dark Dragon, the prisoner’s family… it all swirled together, a storm of worry that he forced down with each stroke of the rag.
At two hours before midnight, a sharp knock on the door jolted him. Xiao Yu stood outside, her face taut, her scout’s cloak flapping in the wind. “They’re here,” she said, her voice low. “Not the Enforcers—scouts. Two of them, skulking around the western perimeter. They’re checking the traps.”
Lin Yue grabbed his sword, already moving toward the door. “Did they see the trench? The spikes?”
Xiao Yu shook her head, falling into step beside him. “We don’t know. They stayed in the trees, moving quiet. The archers spotted them, but Elder Mu told us not to shoot—he doesn’t want to tip them off that we’re ready.”
They ran toward the western woods, their boots crunching on the frosty grass. The moon hung low, casting enough light to see the outline of the trees, but not enough to spot movement in the shadows. Elder Mu was already there, standing with a group of archers, his eyes fixed on the woods.
“They’re gone now,” Elder Mu said, without turning. “But they’ll report back. The Enforcers will know we’ve set traps. They’ll adjust their plan—maybe send the wolves first, to trigger the traps before the Enforcers charge.”
Lin Yue’s jaw tightened. That’s what he’d feared. The trench and spikes were meant to stop the wolves, but if the wolves were just bait… “We need to change the formation,” he said. “The disciples with linked shields—we’ll put them in front of the archers. When the wolves come, we’ll hold the line. The archers can pick off the Enforcers while the wolves are distracted.”
Elder Mu nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Good thinking. Xiao Yu, take your scouts to rally the disciples. Tell them to meet at the western clearing in ten minutes. Lin Yue, you’ll lead the shield group—make sure they’re ready to link up the second the wolves show.”
Xiao Yu vanished into the dark, and Lin Yue walked toward the training ground, where the first disciples were already gathering. Chen was there, his sword strapped to his back, his face pale but determined. “We’re really doing this,” he said, more to himself than to Lin Yue.
Lin Yue clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We’re doing it together. Remember the linked shields—breathe slow, keep your qi steady. I’ll weave mine in to hold it together. We’ve practiced this. We can do it.”
Chen nodded, his shoulders straightening. By the time Xiao Yu returned with the last of the disciples, the group had split into two: the shield bearers, twenty of them, standing in a tight line; the archers, thirty more, positioned behind them, their bows drawn. Lin Yue walked along the shield line, his hands hovering over each disciple’s shoulder. One by one, he wove a thread of dragon qi into their shields—subtle, but enough to tie them together. When he finished, the line glowed with a faint, unified blue light.
“Steady,” he said, his voice carrying across the clearing. “When the wolves come, don’t flinch. Let the shields take the hit. The archers will handle the rest.”
A low, distant howl cut through the night.
They’re coming.